Carleton H. Parker (1878-1918) was a journalist and an economics professor who was particularly interested in the organized labor movement. In the summer of 1917, he was appointed to a position as a government mediator to help resolve disputes in the construction and lumber industries, originally at Camp Lewis in Pierce County, Washington, and later in other locations around the Pacific Northwest.

This letter continues an existing conversation between Carleton Parker and Newton Baker -- the contents of the telegrams exchanged between them on July 27 and 28, 1917, have been scanned and are available from the University of Washington's Digital Collections as Digital ID Number PNW01120.